The Secrets In Our Hearts
by Luh13
Summary: AU- Rose Tyler is a girl with a few secrets who wants a fresh start, and when she meets this girl in a hospital, she has the opportunity. Audrey Hardy is a girl who has been in coma for three years, now she just wants to find her family. And her new friend will help her. Alec/Rose
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, everyone! This story is an AU, so there is no Doctor or Torchwood or aliens. Rose has a normal life, her father is still alive and she has a little brother, Tony. She meets this girl in a hospital and that's when our story starts. Alec will be sort of the Doctor here. Well, he has the Doctor's past. You'll understand when you read it.**

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Rose Tyler was tired.

Tired of everyone trying to tell her how she should feel or what she should do. Tired of everyone just telling her to forget about it and move on.

She couldn't just move on. She was trying, really. But it wasn't easy.

So, instead of being with her family, she would walk around the hospital, playing with children, reading to then.

And sometimes, she would visit this patient, Vanessa Lewis.

Not that Vanessa was a good friend or anything. She was in coma, actually. But Rose always saw her so alone, just lying there, without no one visiting.

Rose asked the nurses. They said that the girl's family died in a car crash, and the girl's relatives never came to visit her, and that she's been in coma for three years now.

The blonde girl felt like someone should be there for Vanessa. And if her family didn't want to, then she would.

And she kept visiting the girl every day, reading Harry Potter for her.

After a few days, Rose was told she could go home, since she was physically fine. But she didn't want to go home. She didn't want to stay home with her mother talking about what happened or saying "I told you so" every now and then.

So she started doing voluntary work at the hospital, and spending almost all of her time there.

And a few weeks later, something happened. Something that everyone thought it was impossible: Vanessa Lewis woke from her coma.

She couldn't speak or move, her muscles have been atrophied from the three years without moving.

She was scared. She didn't know what was happening. Or where she was. Or why were all those people calling her Vanessa.

Her head ached and she was confused, but she knew her name was not Vanessa Lewis. If only she could tell the doctors that her name was Audrey Hardy.

* * *

Rose was pleased with the news. Maybe she and Vanessa could be friends. So she went to her room, only to find out she had been removed to a new one. A private one.

When she finally found the girl's room, she hesitantly walked in and smiled at her. She was happy to see the girl, who was probably around 20, awake. The girl was beautiful, Rose noticed, even looking sick and pale, she was beautiful. She was brunette and with beautiful green eyes, which looked sadder then they should.

"Hello! The doctors said you couldn't speak yet, but they are pretty confident you will be able to do it soon." She said and the girl looked at her like she was trying to tell her something. Rose thought it was because she didn't introduce herself "Oh, sorry. My name is Rose. I do voluntary work at the hospital and I used to read to you every day. Well, actually, I started reading to you before I started the voluntary work. I was a patient for a few days, and I visited the room where you were and you seemed so alone, so I just wanted you to have some company."

The girl nodded and tried to smile. It was all the movement she could do, but Rose understood she was thanking her.

"Do you mind me talking to you? I mean, I know it's probably not nice not being able to reply, but I thought maybe you'd like having some company."

The girl smiled and nodded again.

"Right, so, Vanessa" Rose said and Audrey shook her head as much as she could, trying to say that it wasn't her name "You don't want me to call you Vanessa?" Rose asked trying to understand, but the girl shook her head again "I'm sorry. I can't understand what you're trying to tell me."

Audrey looked like she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could understand." Rose sighed

Audrey nodded and tried to say something, but she couldn't say the words coherently.

Rose looked at her pitifully.

"I'm sorry." She repeated

The girl started crying and Rose sat on the bed and whipped her tears away.

"Hey, don't cry. Everything's gonna be alright. They told me your family is coming here to see you."

Audrey looked at her and stopped crying.

"Oh, you liked that, didn't you?" Rose smiled at her "Your family is coming here to see you, that's good, isn't it?"

The girl nodded.

For Audrey, it was good. Or she would see her family, or the Lewis would see she wasn't Vanessa, whoever Vanessa was.

"I was reading Harry Potter to you" Rose said changing the subject "Do you like Harry Potter?"

Audrey nodded and smiled. She loved Harry Potter.

Rose talked a lot to her, telling about the facts she missed during the last three years.

She didn't talk about her life, or about who she was, Audrey noticed. _She's running away from something, _she thought. Well, that was the only possible reason to why she was spending her time talking to a girl she didn't know and couldn't even reply her. But Audrey liked her. She didn't want to be alone right now.

Maybe Rose wasn't her family, but she was all Audrey had.

* * *

The next morning, Vanessa's aunt got to the hospital and went to her see her nephew.

At first, she thought it was a mistake, that they had sent her to the wrong room. But she talked to the nurses and they confirmed that it was Vanessa Lewis' room.

That was when they figured it out: they had changed the files. That wasn't Vanessa Lewis, and they didn't know who she was.

The hospital apologized to the woman and said they would find out what happened to Vanessa.

Not that the family cared, anyway. They spent three years without visiting the girl, didn't even notice that she wasn't the girl in coma. Honestly, they didn't turn off the devices which kept her alive only because they thought if they did, they would feel like murderers.

* * *

Rose went to visit "Vanessa" on the next day, thinking she would see the girl surrounded by her family, but she she was alone in her room.

A nurse told Rose what had happened that morning, and she finally understood what the girl was trying to tell her.

"So you're not Vanessa, then" Rose said when she entered the room

Audrey shook her head and smiled.

"Would you mind if I tried to guess your name?"

Audrey shook her head again and Rose smiled.

"Right, so... Does is start with 'A'"?

Audrey nodded.

"Oh, that's a good start!" Rose laughed "Names starting with 'A'... Amanda?" Audrey shook her head "Anna? Alice? Ally? Abigail? Angeline?" Audrey shook her head to all "Ok.. Second letter... Is it 'N'? No? 'C'? 'B'? 'R'? 'P'? I don't know... 'U'?" Audrey nodded "Au... Audrey?" Audrey nodded again and smiled as much as she could "Audrey... It's a good name for you. I should probably warn every one that your name is Audrey. They are trying to find out what happened, your first name could help."

Audrey nodded again. She hated only being able to nod or to shake her head.

Rose talked to her about nothing in particular and that she would start physiotherapy tomorrow. Then the blonde girl said she had to leave, but that she would come back tomorrow. Rose said goodbye and left, letting Audrey alone in her bedroom.

She hated being alone in that hospital. She wanted her family... But she didn't even know if they were alive.

She remembered the fire, the explosion, the screams... The chances were that no one had survived.

Except... He wasn't there. Alec wasn't there for the family dinner. She remembers how her mother was mad at him because he didn't want to go. She remembers how she didn't want to go, but she was still living with them so she didn't have much choice. She remembers playing the piano with Romana, one of her sisters. She remembers Brax, one of her brothers, telling a stupid joke. She remembers her father, Rassilon, sitting near the fireplace...

Where were they? Did they think she was dead? Were they dead?

She couldn't be alone.

But the thing is, right now, she was.

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**I think it's important for you to know that I love reviews. I really, really love reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

Audrey started with her physiotherapy and was encouraged to speak as much as she could, so she could speak normally again.

After a few days of hard work, she was able to move her arms and hands and speak clearer. After a few weeks, she could speak normally – Rose was surprised to hear her Scottish accent - move her legs and was beginning relearn how to write.

Rose was by her side the entire time, helping her, talking to her and making her feel better. And Audrey began to trust Rose as a friend. So, one day, when the blonde girl was visiting her, she said:

"Would you like to hear what happened with me, Rose?"

Rose seemed surprise that she wanted to talk about it.

"Y-Yeah, but you don't have to, if you don't feel comfortable about it" Audrey laughed.

"I don't mind. I want to talk about it. We were having a family dinner. Everyone was there. Me, my sisters Romana, Susan and Serena, my brothers Brax, Ulysses and Drax, my mom, Miranda, and my dad, Rassilon. And a… Friend, Harold" Rose didn't miss the way her eyes shone when she mentioned Harold.

"Lots of uncommon names" Rose commented "And you have a big family."

"Yeah, at least I got a normal one." They both laughed.

"And you have a big family. Lots of brothers and sisters."

"And there's still Alec, my brother, who wasn't there. He's the oldest. Then Brax, Romana, Ulysses, Susan, Drax, Serena and me."

"I only have one little brother."

"Tonny, right?" Rose nodded "I'd like to meet him. I love children. Anyway, the family dinner went well, we talked, we laughed, me and Romana played the piano... Then I went outside, to talk to Harold… And we came back inside. But something happened when we were walking into the house. I can't remember exactly how it happened, but there was an explosion and fire everywhere. The smoke… Harold tried to get me out of there, we were near the door, but I was worried about my family and I told him to get out of there. He didn't want to, but I promised him everything was going to be ok and he left. I went inside. I can't anything after that." Audrey was now in tears. "I just want to see them, Rose. I know at least Alec is… My brother Alec wasn't there, he's still alive. He has to be."

"Audrey, I'm not gonna tell you to come down because I don't know what I'd be doing if I were you. But I'm gonna tell you this: I'll help you to find your family. I promise you. And the hospital already has your registry, they'll help us, too."

Audrey nodded, whipping the tears off of her face.

"And you, Rose? What's your story?"

"What do you mean?" Rose asked defensively

"When we first met, you told me you were a patient at the hospital before becoming a volunteer. So, why were you here?"

"I- I don't want to talk about it right now. I'm sorry. I'll talk to you about it, but not right now, ok?"

"Yes, of course. Talk to me when you're ready." Audrey smiled at her. "Now… When will I be able to walk again?"

"The doctors said a few months."

"I hate lying here the entire time. It's boring." She complained.

"I could bring you a book." Rose offered.

"Thank you, Rose! Is there any good one that I missed during these three years?"

"Yes, actually. There is this writer, John Green, and he's amazing!"

* * *

A week later, the hospital said they had found a Romana Hardy. So they called her and asked her to come to the hospital.

Audrey was full of hope and expectation, waiting to see her favorite sister. Romana and her always had been close friends. They shared secrets, spent nights talking to each other about what they wanted, and what they liked… They disagreed in some points, but it was rare for them to fight over something.

So, she was really excited to see her sister again.

Except… When Romana showed up, it wasn't her sister. She didn't have the same brown hair as Audrey. She didn't have those wise brown eyes. She was red-haired and had blue eyes.

Audrey was so disappointed. She thanked the woman for coming, and thanked the hospital for trying, but told them to stop.

She didn't want to feel that way again. She wanted to get out of the hospital and then go and find her family. She wanted to look for them. And she knew she'd found them. Being in her messy family has its perks, sometimes.

She'd find them.

* * *

"Look, Audrey. I know you're upset because it wasn't your sister, but you can't stop trying!" Rose said to her the next day

"Rose, I'm not stopping. I just don't want the hospital to look them for me. As soon as I get better, I'll look for them myself. I'm not giving up on my family."

"How will you even find them?"

"Oh… I never told you much about my family, but growing up with them, well, let's say I learned a few things."

Rose laughed.

"What kind of family is this?" she asked jokingly

"You have no idea…" Audrey muttered. "Really, sometimes I'd just run away to Alec's house so I could talk to someone who understood me. He felt the same way as me about our family. Romana understood me too, but not as much as Alec. He and me, we were best friends. Even with him being 18 years older than me. My mom had him when she was 20. Gosh… I'm 20 and I certainly couldn't be a mother."

"Yeah… I'm 25 and I couldn't be a mother either." Rose agreed.

"Alec had a daughter when he was 26. I was only 8. She was like a cousin to me."

"What's her name?"

"Jenny. Never liked her mother, Laura. When they got married I was very young, so I didn't realize the horrible person she was."

"She can't be so bad. Your brother married her."

"Oh, she is. Sometimes I couldn't even tell if she really loved him or if she was just… Having fun. My family didn't like her either, but their relationship with Alec wasn't really good, so they never said anything."

"But you…?" Rose asked smiling and Audrey laughed.

"It pissed him off when I told him that she wasn't someone nice. And now, I'd be happy to see her. Gosh… I'm missing even Laura!"

Rose's phone rang. She apologized to Audrey and answered.

"Mom? Is everything ok? What? They solved the case? Ok, I'll watch it here, thank you! See you tonight!" Rose hang up the phone.

"What happened?" Audrey asked

"A week ago, this kid, Danny Latimer was murdered in a small town… Broadchurch, I guess. Well, my mom said they solved the case. Do you mind if I…?" she pointed to the TV

"No, not at all."

Rose turned on the television.

Audrey gasped when she saw D.I. Alec Hardy.

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**Review? Please, please, please, please, pleaaaaaase!**

**I need to know what you think about the story, if you don't review, I don't know what I need to improve or if I should continue.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry I didn't post before! I don't really have an excuse. But I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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Rose looked to a sign where it read "Broadchurch" and sighed.

The day was cloudy and cold, but she was used to it. She lived in London.

As she drove through the streets of the small town, she asked herself again why she was there. And the answer made her feel better about the four hours road she took – yes, the traffic was really that bad – Audrey.

"Audrey, are you ok?" Rose asked when the girl started crying after seeing Alec Hardy on TV

"That's Alec. My brother, Alec." She had answered and Rose's jaw dropped. What a coincidence… "I need to go to this place, where is it? Where is he? Rose?" she asked desperately

"Calm down, Audrey! He's in a city called Broadchurch. It's here in England. He's the D.I. of the case about the murdered boy." Rose said without knowing what she should do

"He's alive." Audrey whispered, whipping the tears from her eye

"Yes. Yes, he is." Rose said laughing with joy and hugged her.

After that, Audrey said to Rose that she was going to go to Broadchurch to meet her brother, but the blonde girl said she wasn't in conditions of going travelling. And then… Audrey asked Rose to go to there and talk to her brother.

"Rose, I know we barely know each other, but you've been here with since before I woke up, and you are my friend. At least I think you are. So, please, please, do this for me. Go to him and tell him that I'm alive and get him here. I need my family."

Rose was in silence for a few moments before saying:

"Ok. I'll go, Audrey. But how I even tell him that you are alive? I'll see him on the street and say something like 'Hey, we don't know each other, but my name's Rose and I'm a friend of your sister, whom you thought was dead. But turns out she isn't! She's fine, come with me, I'll tell you where she is!'"

"No!" Audrey laughed, "He wouldn't believe you even if you said something a little bit more convincing. There is a reason why he's a Detective, Rose. He needs proofs. Pictures, fingerprints, a DNA test…" Audrey joked

"I think only pictures will do."

"Oh, I wouldn't blame him if he asked for a DNA test."

"Do you think he will?" Rose asked a little bit shocked, she didn't know anyone who would do that…

"As I said, there's a reason why he's a detective." Audrey said dramatically and Rose rolled her eyes.

Then they started planning the best way of telling Alec that his sister was still alive. And Rose didn't miss the way Audrey smiled all the time. The Londoner knew she had never seen the other girl so happy.

And that was all that kept Rose going with their mad plan.

Jackie didn't understand why she was trying to spend so much time away from home, so she certainly didn't understand why Rose would travel to a city in the middle of nowhere ("Well, it's actually seaside city, mom…" "I don't bloody care!") , but she didn't stop Rose from going. She demanded to know why and she wasn't satisfied with the answer, but she let her daughter go.

Pete, on the other hand, understood that her daughter needed some time away from everything, and helping this girl to find her family was a way of doing it. And a good way of doing it.

So Rose traveled to Broadchurch and now that she was there… She had no idea of what to do.

The first thing she did, was to book a room for her on Becca's Hotel. She let her things there and started driving through the town.

She ended up at the beach, which was full of people, tourists and curios people who wanted to have a look on the beach in which the murder happened. But Rose didn't pay attention to them.

She walked on the sand and looked at the sea, remembering everything that happened the past few months. She felt her eyes watering, but she held her tears back. She always did. Even when she told Audrey what had happened to her (she told her a day before travelling), and even when her mother did those remarks about how she should've known better. She was strong. She was strong all the time, but it was tiring her.

Sometimes she just wanted to collapse on the floor crying, but she didn't want anyone to pit her.

Those thoughts distracted her, and she bumped on someone.

Rose fell on the ground and someone helped her up quickly.

"Sorry." Said a Scottish accent and Rose looked at his face.

"Oh my God." She whispered, her eyes widening

"Great, just what the city needs… Another curios girl wanting to know what happened. Yes, I'm D.I. Alec Hardy. No, I won't give you my autograph." He said and started to walk away

"No, I'm sorry, detective. I'm not surprised because you're the man who solved the crime. It's just…" she stopped herself, she couldn't just say that his sister was alive, and she wasn't with the pictures there with her "There is no way you'd believe me if I told you. I need to show you, but the pictures aren't with me right now. Please, would you come with me? I need to show you something. It's important, I swear!"

He looked at her for a few seconds.

"If you have something to say to the police…" he started but she interrupted

"It's not about any crime. It's about… It's about your sister. Audrey." She said carefully and looked at him to see what his reaction would be.

But he stood there, his face blank.

For a moment she thought that he didn't even recognize the name, but when he spoke…

"What are you? A journalist?" his voice was colder than before, it was almost like a threat

"No! I just need… I need to show you something. It's related to Audrey. I don't want to bother you, but it's important." She said trying to convince him. "Please."

He was in silence for a few seconds, she realized he was studying her with attention.

"Why can't you tell me here?" he asked with his voice returning to normal

"Because when I tell you, you'll want to be sure. And you'll probably ask for some proofs. Which I have, but they are not with me right now. Come with to the hotel, and I'll show you, please. Your sister… She aske… She wanted me to show you something."

"You knew her?" he asked obviously interested

"Yes." She replied without any explanations

He nodded.

"Ok, I'll go with you."

Rose smiled at him, a gesture he didn't reply to.

They went in Rose's car – he said he went walking to the beach and he was staying at the hotel too – and in there, not a word was spoke.

The silence was slightly uncomfortable to Rose, but she didn't try to start a conversation, she was pretty sure he didn't want to talk to her. And while in there, she realized that… Well, he wasn't exactly unattractive, you know? She shook her thoughts away, focusing on driving.

When they finally arrived the hotel, she leaded him to her room, opening to the door so he could come in.

"So what's it? What do you need to show me?" he asked walking through the room

"Sit." She pointed the bed with her head.

He rolled his eyes but sat anyway.

"I don't have the entire day."

"Alec… May I call you Alec?" she asked and before he could even reply that she couldn't, she continued "Whatever. Alec, two months ago I was at the hospital, and every time I walked around there, I saw this girl. She was in coma and she had no one to visit her or be there for her while she wasn't awake. So… I started to be there for her. I always visited and read to her. The nurses told me she had been in coma for three years, her name was Vanessa."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Don't interrupt. It's important, I swear. Anyway, a few weeks after I started visiting her, she woke up. But, as I said, she was in coma for three years, so she couldn't speak clearly or moves. The doctors and me noticed that she didn't answer for the name Vanessa, and every time someone called her that, she shook her head and tried to speak. But we only discovered the girl wasn't Vanessa when an aunt of her came to see her. So, we had this girl, in coma for three years whose we didn't know. But I stayed with her and even got to guess her name. And after a few days, when she was able to speak clearer, we got her full name." she stopped and looked at him for a moment "Alec, her name was Audrey Hardy. And she's alive in a hospital in London."

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**And I'll try to update tomorrow or Friday.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I didn't update before. A lot of things happened and I wasn't able to. Sorry.**

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Rose held her breath, waiting for his reaction.

"I don't know who you are. Or what you want. But my sister is dead! And you want me to believe you when you say she's alive? After three years?!" he screamed at her.

He stood up and started walking to the door.

"Wait, Alec! I have proofs! That's why I brought you here! So I could show you! Please, listen to me!" she begged him.

He sighed, but turned to look at her.

"Show me." He said coldly and she nodded.

She opened her bag and handed him a few pictures.

He took them and looked at her before looking at the photos.

His jaw dropped when he saw the brunette girl smiling at him. _It was Audrey._

Except… It couldn't be. She was dead.

He saw all the pictures at least twice before he sat on the bed again, looking like he was about to cry.

"She's dead." He said with a weak voice

"No, she's not." Rose said and sat beside him. "You saw the pictures, Alec. Audrey is alive, in a hospital in London. I met her there. She's ok. She's breathing, her heart is beating, her brain's working… She's not walking right now, but the doctors said that soon she'll be able to run and dance and do whatever she wants."

"But… The body, the funeral..." he whispered still looking at the pictures.

"It wasn't Audrey. The hospital made a mistake."

"I want to see her." He said "I… Where is she?"

"I'm coming back to the hospital, you can come with me if you want to." Rose suggested and he nodded.

"Thank you."

"No problem." Rose smiled at him.

He called to his boss and said he would be out of town for the next couple of days. She said it was ok. And he knew she said that only because she thought he needed some rest after his operations – two days after the end of the Latimer case, he did the surgery.

He also called Ellie, to tell her he wasn't going to be around for a few days, but she didn't have to worry about him and that she shouldn't care about what anyone said to her about Joe.

After those calls, he went to his room in the hotel and packed a few things. A change of clothes, his toothbrush and his medications.

And then, one hour later, they were ready to go.

They went in Rose's car, she was driving.

"So…" she said. "Do you want me to call Audrey to tell her that we are going to the hospital or do you want to make a surprise?"

He looked at her for a few moments before replying. "She hates surprises."

"Ok, I'll call her." Rose picked up her phone from her bag and called Audrey.

"Hello? Rose?" said the girl over the phone

"Hello, Audrey! I have great news! Guess who's coming back to the hospital with me?"

"Alec… You talked to Alec? Oh, my God, Rose! Is he with you? How is he? And…"

"Calm down, Audrey!" Rose said laughing. "Do you want to talk to him?" she asked

"I… Oh, Gosh. I-" and Rose's battery died before Audrey could finish her sentence.

"Damn…" Rose muttered. "My phone is dead and I don't remember Audrey's room number."

Alec nodded and looked out the window.

The sun was already setting on the horizon, and they still have a few hours of road to take.

"So… Why are you doing this?" he asked. "Helping a stranger."

"Oh, she's not a stranger. She's my friend. Audrey's helping me go through a lot. And I want to be there for her too."

"That's her… Always helping." He said sadly. "I missed her. I can't believe she's alive."

"Alec… Audrey told me about your family. About how she loved and cared about everyone… Her friendship with Romana, Brax' stupid jokes… Did anyone else survived?"

He looked away.

"No. I lost all my family that day."

"I'm… I'm sorry. I know it doesn't help, but I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too."

After that, an uncomfortable silence took over. That seemed to happen a lot with them in a car.

A few minutes later, he started talking again. "Why were you at the hospital?"

"I was injured." She replied vaguely, but her voice indicated she didn't want to talk about it.

"How long 'til we arrive?"

"An hour and a half." She replied.

"Right…"

"Can I ask you something?"

"You already did." He pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

"Audrey said you were married. And had a child. But you didn't call to anyone other than your boss and your friend."

"Your question is...?" he asked feeling uncomfortable

"What happened?"

"Divorce. My child lives with her mother."

"Oh… Sorry." She said.

Rose started to really pit the man. He lost his family, his wife left him, and his child lived with her mother... Suddenly, she felt really lucky to have her family with her.

They spent the rest of the trip in silence.

In the hospital, Audrey got to use a computer.

She thought of searching for the accident to know what happened with her family, but she realized it would be better to hear the news from her brother.

So she searched for Harold Saxon.

And she found the number of his law firm – he was a lawyer.

Then she called him.

A secretary answered the phone.

"Saxon Advocacy, how can I help you?"

"I… I want to talk to Mr. Saxon."

"What's your name?"

"Tell him it's about Audrey Hardy. He will understand."

"Ok, miss. Wait a minute, please." A few moments later she returned. "Mr. Saxon will talk to you now."

Audrey let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Thank you."

"Hello? Who is this? Alec is this you?"

"Harry?" Audrey asked already beginning to cry.

"Who is this?" he repeated. "What do you want?"

"It's me, Harry. I… I'm not dead. It's Audrey."

"A-Audrey? It can't be. I don't know who it is, but stop with this stupid joke."

"It's not a joke, Harry. Please, it's me. I am at a hospital in London. I swear it's me. How else can I remember that day at the beach? When you kissed me? Or that day when we went to the movies to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?"

There was a silence before he said something. "Audrey" he whispered on the phone, his voice shaky.

"It's me." She assured him.

"How?"

"Can you come here, please? I'll explain everything. I promise."

"Three years, Audrey. Three years." He said sounding almost angry.

"I know. But it's not my fault, Harry, I promise you."

She heard him sigh.

"Ok. I… Where are you?"

She gave him the name of the hospital and he said that he'd be there soon.

And now she had to wait for her brother and her… Boyfriend.

Would they still be boyfriend?

He thought she was dead… What if he had someone now? He could be married or something.

Audrey tried to think about something else, but these thought kept coming back.

She would soon be reunited with the most important people in her life… Was she ready for it?

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**Reviews, please, please, please, please? Pretty please?**

**Oh, and what did you think about Audrey having a romantic par too? And I promise soon we will have Alec/Rose. Right now he's worried with Audrey.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, everyone! I have something to say to you... I probably won't be able to post a lot next week. I'll have a lot of tests. And... The week after my exams, I'll travel. And after that, more exams. Phylosophy, Math, Geography, Physics, Portuguese, English, Spanish and History... My life sucks. Anyway... I'll try to update as much as I can, I promise.**

**Special thanks for everyone who reviewed me, I love you! Really, I do.**

* * *

When they finally arrived at the hospital, Rose thought she'd never seen someone as nervous as Alec Hardy in that moment.

"Come on!" he said at the elevator and she rolled her eyes.

When they reached Audrey's floor, they stepped out the elevator and she leaded him to Audrey's room door.

"Are you ready?" Rose asked with her hand on the knob, her arm stopping him of going in.

"Aye." He said impatiently and she took a step back, letting him in. "I'm going to the cafeteria. Do you want something?" He shook his head. "Ok, see you later." She said and left.

He took a deep breath, then opened the door and took a step forward.

* * *

Audrey went back to her room, her wheelchair guided by one of the nurses, she doesn't remember the name.

She was lied down on the bed and left alone, thinking.

How long will they wait?

Were Rose and Alec far from here?

And Harold? Would he come soon?

She didn't have the answer for those questions, and that was frustrating. She hated waiting. Being patient wasn't one of her qualities.

But them, after what seemed an eternity, her door was opened.

Alec.

Alec was here. Her brother was here.

He was thinner, he had grown a beard, and he seemed tired.

But it was her brother. He was alive.

She wasn't alone.

They looked their eyes into each other's. And after a moment he ran to her a hugged her tightly.

She began to cry… Again.

"Damn it…" she whispered, still hugging him. "I haven't stopped crying since I woke up! You know I hate crying, Alec."

He didn't reply her, he laughed briefly and kept on hugging.

"You're alive, Audrey." He said pulling away and kissing her check.

She laughed and he whipped her tears away. His own eyes started fill with them.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

He smiled at her and took her hand into his.

The tears started falling from his eyes.

"Oh, come on. You can't be so disappointed that I'm alive!" Audrey joked without knowing what to say.

"Sorry…" he said drying his tears with his sleeve. "I… It's been three years, Audrey. I thought you were dead and now you're here with me. Breathing and talking and..." he sobbed. "Sorry."

"It's ok. Come here." She said indicating that he should sit on the bed with her.

They hugged again. This time, they were both sobbing and hiding their face in each other.

Alec didn't use to cry, Audrey knew that. He was always the one who kept his emotions to himself. But now… Here he was, crying with her on a hospital bed.

They stopped hugging after a few moments, he took her hand and they started talking again.

"How've you been the past few months?" he asked like a good big brother.

"Not so bad. It could be worse. Rose was here with me almost all the time, she's been great to me." Audrey answered smiling. "And you? In the past three years, how've you been?"

He sighed and looked down before answering. "Remember how we used to have those therapy nights?" she nodded. "Well, I think we should have one soon."

"Something tells me that's going to be a looong night."

He smiled at her. "Aye."

"So… I saw on the news… You solved a case recently. And you were in Broadchurch. That name sounds familiar."

"Well, about the case… We'll have two therapy nights. Maybe more." They laughed. "Our family went to Broadchurch once, you wasn't born yet. I was only me, mum, dad, Romana, Brax and Ulysses. I think you know the name from one of our photo albums."

"Probably." She said, but her thoughts drifted to the rest of her family. He hadn't say anything yet. "Alec… Did… Did anyone survive?" her voice was already shaken.

He looked into her eyes, and she looked into his. She saw so much pain in there that she almost looked away. "Alec, tell me." She demanded.

He sighed and looked down, shaking his head. "No one. All of them, Audrey. They are dead." His voice was full of sadness and sorrow, so she held his hand tightly.

Audrey nodded and looked to the wall, opposite from where Alec was.

She shed silent tears, grieving for the family she lost.

* * *

Rose went to the cafeteria, to let them talk.

So she called her mother to tell her she was back in London and then she ate something.

After that, she started wandering through the hospital.

That was when she saw this man. He had brown hair and eyes, he was wearing a gray suit and something about him made him look like he was slightly crazy, but at the same time, he seemed someone you should fear.

She heard him asking to some nurse if she knew where was Audrey Hardy's room.

"What do you want with Audrey?" Rose asked. The girl didn't have anyone except for her brother, and he was in the room with her.

"I'm sorry?" he asked confused.

"What do you want with Audrey?" she repeated.

"That's none of your business." He said rudely. "If you know what's her room, tell me. If you don't, them, excuse me, I'll find someone who does."

"I know what's her room. But I don't know if I can take you there."

"Why not?" he asked impatiently, rolling his eyes.

"She's busy right now. Who are you?"

"Harold Saxon. Nice to meet you, whatever. What do you mean 'busy'? She was the one who called me here."

"Harold Saxon…" Rose said trying to remember where she'd heard that name before. "Oh! Audrey mentioned you! I'm Rose, by the way."

Harold seemed slightly happier by the fact that Audrey talked about him. He still thought that she had disappeared for three years because she wanted to.

"She did? That's nice… Uhm, can you show me her room, please?"

"I-" Rose hesitated. "I don't know. She's talking to her brother now." He seemed confused.

"What? He didn't know she was alive? Does she realize how much pain she put him through? How much pain she put me through?"

Rose looked at him for a few moments before realizing. "Oh, you don't know what happened, do you?"

"No, she said she'd explain. That's why I came. I'm not sure if I should. I thought she was dead and…"

"Don't judge her yet. You don't know what happened. It's not her fault."

"Yeah, right…" He rolled his eyes. "How long will I have to wait?"

"I don't know…" she sighed. "I want to know how she is, but I don't want to interrupt them."

"I wouldn't mind interrupting them, but I don't know where she is… You know, you could tell me. They didn't even need to know that it was you."

Rose couldn't help but smile at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Just… Even thinking she fooled you, you still want to see her so desperately. And I can see in your eyes that you are so happy that she's alive. You love her, don't you?"

He looked at her, realizing she was one of those people who could read someone like a book.

"I used to. I don't know… Maybe I still do." He admitted.

"Then I'll show you her room." Rose said, inspired by the love he felt for Audrey, even without seeing her for three years.

* * *

"I'm sorry you have to go through everything on your own." She said when she finally stopped crying

"Don't be. It's not your fault." She nodded.

"What happened?" she asked him and he looked at her, confused. "What started the fire?" she clarified.

"Remember all that stuff dad told me to get rid of? All those technology things I had? And remember how the house was having a few electrical problems?" she nodded. "Well… There were wires near those things. It caused an small explosion, which caused the fire." He said without looking at her, and she realized what was wrong.

"It's not your fault."

"What cause the explosion were my things. And dad told me to get rid of them. If I had done what he told me, none of that would've happen."

"I don't blame you."

"You don't understand…"

"What I don't understand? I nearly died; I was in coma for three years. I lost my family! And I don't blame you! It's not your fault!"

Before he could reply to that, the door was opened.

Harold Saxon entered the room.

"Audrey" he whispered.

* * *

**I love reviews, you know...**

**And have you ever heard a song from Birdy? Because she's awesome and I'm addicted to her new album, Fire Within.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! I thought I'd only be able to post on Monday, but I found some time to write this chapter! So I hope you like it.**

* * *

Harold Saxon was shocked.

And that wasn't something that happened frequently.

After he entered the room, he ran to Audrey's arms, not quite believing that she was really there. Alive and well.

But then he got angry. Why did she do that to him? Why did she make him think that she was dead? And why did she reveal it now?

"Why?" he asked her, but he was still touching her arm. "Why did you that to me?"

"Oh, come on…" she said to herself as she started crying again. "I hate crying. Alec, Rose, I want to talk to Harry alone. Please."

Rose smiled at her, and Alec nodded, but didn't seem very happy about leaving his sister's side.

"I'll eat something and then I'll be back, all right? We still have a lot to talk about."

"And we will." Audrey assured him.

Rose and Alec left the room and Audrey was alone with Harold.

"Why?" he asked again. "Why did you make me go through all of that, Audrey? I don't understand… I didn't think you were the kind of person who'd do that to me and…"

"Harold." She interrupted. "It's not my fault, ok?"

"It's whose fault then?"

"No one's!" she nearly screamed. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Let me tell you what happened. Do you remember that night?"

"How could I forget?" he said looking into her eyes.

"I tried to save them, Harry. But I couldn't. And I don't know exactly what happened. The smoke probably made me pass out and I hit my head or fell from the stairs… I can't remember. But the fireman took me out of the house. When I got to the hospital, I was unconscious and they changed my name with the name of some girl called Vanessa. The thing is… The smoke and whatever happened to me when I passed out, were enough to keep me in coma for three years, Harold."

He looked at her and held her hand.

"You know, there are a lot of things that are wrong with this story you're telling me." He said. "Why no one realized they've changed the names for three years?"

"Because this girl, Vanessa, didn't have anyone that cared about her. She had a distant family, but they never came to visit her. You can ask the nurses if you want to. Or Rose, she used to read for me when she was volunteer in the hospital." She started playing with his fingers. "Please, believe me. Why'd I lie, Harold? I lost my family. Do you think I'd like a time alone? And if I did want some time for myself, do you think that's what I'd do? I thought you knew me…"

"It doesn't sound like you." He admitted. "So… Let's say I believe your story. What happened when you woke up?"

"Well… I've been in coma for three years. I couldn't move my arms or speak. I still can't walk. So I couldn't tell the doctors that I wasn't called Vanessa. They only discovered when Vanessa's aunt came to visit her and realized it wasn't her. And then, it took a few days, almost a week, before I could tell them my name. And last week I saw Alec on tv and asked Rose to bring him here. And while she was out, I called you. That's what happened."

He looked at her again, analyzing what she had just said.

She seemed to be telling the truth, and it really didn't seem like her to do something like that, so he decided he believed in her.

"Ok." He said and stroked her cheek. "I missed you." He said and pulled her to a tight hug.

"I missed you too. Since I woke up I couldn't stop thinking about seeing you again."

"Audrey… I thought you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again." He said with his face buried in her hair. She realized he was about to cry.

"I know, I'm sorry. I didn't want you to go through the pain of losing me. And Alec… Poor Alec. He thought he had lost his entire family. At least now he has me."

"Well, as you said, it's not your fault."

"I know it's not. But I can't help but feel guilty."

He kissed her cheek. "You don't have to."

Her hand passed through his hair, she pulled him closer and kissed him.

It was a brief, gentle kiss. But it showed how much she still loved him and how she was feeling about everything they were going through.

He hesitated to kiss her back, he did after a few moments. But he suddenly pulled back.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I can't do this."

Audrey looked hurt for a few seconds before saying coldly. "Right. Ask Alec to come here, would you? It was nice to see you, Harold. Sorry if I bothered you to tell you that I wasn't dead."

She knew she didn't need to be so rude, but she couldn't help it.

"Audrey, please… Don't do this."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But you're the one who's doing it. I thought you trusted me."

"I do!" he assured her quickly.

"No, obviously you don't. You think I'm lying. That I faked my own death to be alone for some time. Do you really think that's something I'd do?"

"Audrey, I believe in you, I swear! It's just… I'm with someone."

Audrey was ready to scream something about the fact that he didn't believe him, but now all she could say was… "Oh."

That hurt her more than anything that he could've said to her. Was she really so replaceable?

It didn't make sense in her head, because for her, it had been a few weeks since the last time she saw him. But for him, it's had been three years.

"Audrey…"

"No, don't say anything. Don't come back here. I don't want to see you again, Harold." She said swallowing the tears.

"Audrey, please! I thought you were dead!"

"Yeah… I'm sure you grieved my death!" she said sarcastically. "Maybe with some champagne near a fireplace? In Paris? With your new girlfriend?"

"Audrey…" He said, holding back his own tears.

"Just… Get the hell out of here. And don't come back. I mean it. It was a mistake to call you here."

"Please, listen to me! I-"

"GET OUT!" she screamed, tears of anger falling from her eyes.

Harold looked desperate to hug her, wipe away her tears and tell that everything was going to be ok.

But he left the room, leaving her alone with her broken heart.

* * *

Rose and Alec were eating something on the cafeteria.

Well, Alec was eating something, and Rose was just making him company.

"I… I want to thank you for what you've done for Audrey." He said.

After a few moments without him saying anything, Rose said "To tell someone that you want to say thank you, is not thanking her."

He rolled his eyes. "I can pay you, if you want to."

"What?!" Rose said loudly. She nearly punched him for saying that. "What do you think I am? I would never accept payment for helping a friend! Because that's what your sister is: my friend!"

Rose got up, but he grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. What about a dinner? Can I take you to dinner? To say thank you? We can share the bill if you want to."

Rose released her arm from his grab. "Pick me up at eight. Don't be late." She said and turned away, leaving him alone.

He didn't know why having dinner with this girl was making him so happy.

* * *

**Ok, Audrey wasn't very nice to Harold. But really... For her, it's been only a few weeks. If you really love someone and you're togehter, and you don't see each other for a few weeks... Do you stop loving that person? No, you don't. And Harold still loves her, but it's been three years for him. And he thought she was dead.**

**Anyway, what do you think about Alec/Rose? I know the story is too focused in Audrey right now, but I promise it'll be more about Alec/Rose later.**

**Reviews, please?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Guys, I'm so, so sorry. I know it took longer than usual for me to update this chapter, and the next one... It'll take a while too. I'm sorry. But I'll travel and I won't have a computer to write. And also, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. But if I didn't post this, you'd have to wait another week for an update, and I didn't want that. So, I hope you like it. And I promise the next chapter will be amazing.**

* * *

Alec was worried.

Why wasn't Harold Saxon happy? He had just met Audrey, the girl he loved and who he thought to be dead. Something definitely was going on. And Alec didn't like that.

So, when he saw Harold walking through the hospital's corridor, he told Rose to see how Audrey was and went to talk to the man.

"Harold? What happened?" he asked, walking fast to catch up with him.

"It's… Your sister." He sighed. "She doesn't want me around."

"What? Why?" Alec asked surprised. He knew Audrey loved him.

"I told her I'm seeing someone. She didn't react well." He looked down.

"It's hard for her. Give her some time. It hasn't been such a long time for her, you know."

"Of course I know, Alec!" he exploded. "Of course I know I'm making her suffer! And you have no idea of how bad I'm feeling about it!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Do you still love my sister?" Alec asked quietly, already knowing the answer.

"Of course. I never stopped loving her. I don't think I ever will." He laughed bitterly.

"So why don't you tell her that?"

"Since when you're such a romantic? She doesn't want to see me. And it's not so simple. I'm not just seeing someone… I'm engaged."

Alec gasped. "What?! Since when?"

"Two months ago. But… I don't love her. I don't love Lucy and-"

"Lucy? Lucy Hook? The woman Audrey absolutely hates?" Alec was now irritated. How could he?

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" he screamed and a nurse told him to be quiet. "I had no choice, Alec. My family is just as bad as yours was. They told me to marry her, I had no choice. I told you I don't bloody love that woman."

"So don't marry her just because your family wants you to. And don't tell me I don't understand, because marrying Laura was my choice. My family hated her… Now I understand why, but it was my choice. So start doing your own choices. Besides, I don't think your family will disapprove you and my sister being together. They didn't use to."

Harry nodded. He and Alec used to be friends, best friends. But after the fire… After the Alec lost his family, they had a massive fight and didn't talk to each other since then. But Harold hadn't realized how much he missed his friend since that moment.

"I will sort this out. Just… Take care of her. Tell her I'm sorry." He took a card out of his pocket and gave it to Alec. "Call me. Keep me updated about her. I'll come back as soon as I can, I promise."

"I know you will." Alec said taking the card. "I don't think we're going to stay in London, Harold. I'm living in Broadchurch, and I'll try to convince her to move to there with me."

Harold nodded. "I understand. Let me know when you're going to move out."

"Yes, of course."

"I have to go now. Uh… Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Rose entered Audrey's room and saw she was crying.

"Audrey!" she exclaimed and ran to sit on the bed, beside her friend. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She said weeping away her tears, but they didn't stop falling. "I… Harry. Harry is seeing someone. I know it's stupid. It's been three year for him, and I don't blame him for moving on. But I can't help it. I feel miserable. I still love him so much and it didn't occur me that he could have moved on."

"Audrey, I talked to him for a few minutes, and that was enough to realize that he's still in love with you. It must be hard for him, to see you alive after three year thinking that you were dead. But I don't think he ever stopped loving you."

"I know all of that, Rose. But I can't stop feeling this way. I understand, and I don't blame him. But I shouted at him, I told him I didn't want to see him again. And right now… I don't want to." She sighed. "How ridiculous does that look? Crying for a guy… You know, Rose. I didn't use to cry. But since I woke up from this bloody coma, I can't stop. I lost everyone I've ever loved."

"Well, we don't know each other for so long, Audrey. But I'm your friend, and I'm gonna be here for you as long as you need. And you have your brother, who loves you so very much and is so happy that you are alive. And you still have Harold. I know things between you two aren't that great now, but you'll sort it out. I'm sure."

"You're a good friend, Rose." Audrey said giving her a sad smile.

Rose laughed and pulled the other girl into a hug.

"So, now you're going to stop crying, because I have something to tell you…"

"What?" Audrey said smiling and weeping the rest of the tears from her face.

"First… Your brother is a jerk."

"Oh, God… What did he do?"

"He tried to pay me for helping you. I rejected, obviously. But then he said he was sorry and told me he wanted to thank me properly…"

"And then…?"

"Well, we're gonna have dinner tonight."

Audrey smiled widely. "That's amazing! Oh, I can definitely see the two of you dating! That's awesome!"

"Oh, come on. We don't even know each other. We're only… Having dinner." Rose said, but there was something in her eyes that said that it wasn't only a dinner.

"Of course, only having dinner…" Audrey agreed laughing.

"But… Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"What? No. I'll be ok." Rose gave her a look of uncertainty. "Seriously. I'll be fine. I haven't been alone in a while. And right now that's all I need."

"Right…" Said Rose not fully convinced. "So I'll go home get ready, but if you need anything, call me, ok?"

"Rose, you've been with me for a few months now, you know I can handle a night by myself."

"But-"

"But if I need something I'll call you. For now, just go get ready for your dat- I mean, dinner."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll be here tomorrow. Good night." She said and hugged her friend.

Then she left the hospital and went home… Dinner was going to be interesting.

* * *

**Reviews, please?**

**Also, if you want to see me telling how sorry I am for not being able to write a chapter, follow me on twitter: thedoctorswolf and on tumblr: iburnedupasunforher**

**And you can also ask for something you want to see in the story or just ask me to update...**

**Again, I'm sorry, I'll try to update as soon as I can.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, my lovely readers! I'm so sorry about the wait, but it's finally over! Ladies and gentlemen... I present you: Rose and Alec's date! (or dinner, whatever)**

* * *

Alec Hardy was incredibly nervous…

…And because of a date. With a woman he barely knew. And it was so bloody ridiculous

After talking to Harold he went to check on his sister, and found out that Rose had already gone home and had left her address for him. He also asked Audrey if it was really ok for her to be alone tonight. ("I've already told you it's fine, Alec!" "But-" "I AM FINE!)

And then he realized he didn't have anywhere to go. So he booked a hotel room in a motel near the hospital. He took a shower, changed his clothes and brushed his teeth, but decided not to shave.

An hour later he was finally ready, but it was still 6pm, so he had to wait. And wait. And wait.

And while he waited, he started to wonder… Why did he ask Rose Tyler on a date?

No, really. Why? He didn't know her, he thought she was a bit pretty but that was it, and he certainly didn't want to be in a relationship. Not after what happened with his marriage, anyway.

But when he stopped to think about it, he also realized that he had no reasons to not asking her out on a date. She was pretty, they could be friends, she helped his sister and he was thankful. Things could go right.

There was another question. Why did she accept?

She didn't know him, he hadn't been nice to her, he certainly didn't look like someone you wanted to be friends or something else with. So… Why did she say yes? She a beautiful young woman, and he was a broken old man. It didn't make any sense.

Despite of all the worries, he took a taxi and went to her house. He rang the bell and she answered the door with a big smile on her face.

She was wearing a not-too-short blue dress with black high heels, a silver necklace that matched with her bracelets and earrings. Her hair was loose and she wasn't wearing much make up, but she was completely stunning.

"You're beautiful." He said without thinking.

Her smile grew bigger. "Thank you, Detective Inspector. You're not looking bad yourself."

He smiled at her and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"Of course!"

He leaded her to the car, opening the door for her. Since when was he such a gentleman?

"So… Where are we going to?" Rose asked.

"Oh… Uhm… Actually, I wanted you to chose the place. Since I don't know anything in London I thought that maybe you'd prefer to go somewhere you like or something."

Rose smiled at him and said something to the motorist. "I hope you like seafood."

"Oh, I do."

"So… How are you dealing with everything?" she asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"You know… The sister you thought to be dead is alive… Are you all right? It must've been a chock."

He blinked a few times before answering, not quite believing she was really worried about him. "Yeah, you know… It's a lot to cope with. I mean… I thought I'd never see her again. I had convinced myself that I wouldn't see her again. But now she's here. It's hard to explain how that feels." He blurted and she put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother you with my problems."

"It's ok." She said, but thought it was better to change the subject. "So, was it hard to solve the Latimer's case? I watched it on TV… I have a little brother, you know. It's hard to think that someone would harm a child."

"Yeah, it's always cruel. I've worked on other cases involving the murder of a child… Two girls, actually." He said without looking at her. "Not a very good memory that one." He seemed lost in his own thought, and Rose felt a little uncomfortable.

"Uh… Audrey and Harold… I don't understand. She seemed so in love with him and when she talked about him… It seemed like she was sure he loved her too. What happened?"

"Well, Harold still loves Audrey. But he though she was dead… For three years. And his family, well, his family is not very nice to him – or to anyone, actually – and they wanted him to get married. So they're forcing him to get married with this woman, Lucy. And don't tell Audrey her name. Audrey hates her, and if she discovers that Harold is with her… She won't take it very well."

Rose laughed. "I can imagine. Well, but Harold's family, would they approve Audrey? I mean… They used to date. What his family thought about it?"

"They approved. I guess that even if they didn't, Harold would still date her… We used to be friends, him and me; he's older than her… It took me some time to accept him dating my little sister. But at the end I understood he truly loved her, and that she loved him just as much."

"D.I. Alec Hardy, protective brother?" Rose teased and he laughed.

"I guess you could say that."

"You said you used to be friends… What happened?"

"Well… After her death… It was heard for both of us. I had to deal with not only the pain of losing Audrey, but my entire family too. And then I moved with my wife and child… Couldn't stand being there anymore. Too many memories, you know? We just sort of lost contact. Because of the distance, but also because we brought memories of her to each other. It was hard."

Rose held his hands and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, I know I'm being noisy, but I was curious. Your life could turn into a movie or something."

"A very dramatic one." He agreed sadly, looking at their hand together.

They finally arrived at the restaurant Rose had picked.

It was a small and comfortable place. It wasn't fancy, but it was very pretty.

The restaurant had a few tables available, they chose one next to the wall, where they could've more privacy.

He pulled her chair out and helped her in. "Thank you" she said smiling.

He sat on his own chair and looked at her. She was really pretty, he thought while he lost himself in her beautiful hazel eyes.

"What?" she asked feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Nothing." He said looking away, but smiled.

"What?" She asked again laughing.

"It's nothing."

"Tell me!" she demanded.

"It's just… You're pretty." He said and felt incredibly stupid for saying those things. Alec Hardy didn't say those things… Unless, it made her blush the way she did.

"Thank you. I didn't know you were such a gentleman, Detective."

"Aye. I know I wasn't really nice to you today. I thought that maybe I should change that."

"Yeah, you were a bit rude."

He swallowed hard. He hadn't even been nice to her. So… "Why did you accept to go on a date with me?" He asked before he could stop himself.

She smiled, thinking about his choice of words... A date. "Oh, I thought it'd be interesting."

He blinked a few times. "Interesting? What does that mean?"

"Well… You're a different, Alec. There's something about you that is quite unique. And with everything you've been going through, I thought that maybe you'd need a friend."

"So you came on this date with me because you pity me?" he asked more disappointed than angry.

"No!" she assured him quickly. "I do want to be your friend, and I think you deserve one right now. But I didn't come to this date because I pity you. I came because I like you. I mean, not like, like… How could I? We barely know each other. But as I said, you are interesting, you're interesting, and I like that in you. Why did you ask me out on a date?"

"Oh, you've been good to my sister, and I wanted to thank you properly. Also, I've been rude to you, so I thought it'd be a good idea for me to apologize properly. And you're interesting too."

She laughed. "Me? Nah, I'm as normal as someone can be."

"I don't believe you. There's something about you, Rose Tyler. Something that makes me feel like you're not ordinary at all. You're special, there's something about your eyes that tell me this."

Rose blushed again. "And you know that only by looking me in the eyes?"

"Well, I'm a Detective, that's my profession."

"You're a good detective, then."

"Exactly."

"And humble."

"My middle name."

She rolled her eyes. "Right, Sherlock Holmes, what should we order?"

"My dear Watson… No, I guess that title goes to Ellie, sorry. She works with me."

"Should I be jealous? Sherlock and John obviously have something special… And I'm not talking about friendship."

"Oh, no, no. Not me and my Watson. Never. Not in a million years. But you watch the show, don't you?" She nodded. "There's always Molly…"

"So you think Sherlock loves Molly?"

"I'm just saying that if he's not with Watson, he could be with Molly. And I don't have a Molly yet."

"Are you looking for one?"

"I wasn't. Not after my… Irene, I guess you could say that."

"So, are you asking me to be you Molly?"

"I… didn't say that."

"But you didn't say you didn't want me to be."

"That's true. Now, what should we order? I'm hungry."

"Fine…"

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**Reviews? Please?**

**So... If anyone's wondering, my trip was great! Me and my friends had so much fun! We danced, we laughed, we met new people, we called to stranger's rooms asking if they shiped Johnlock (no one around here watches Sherlock so everyone was like "uh?")... It was great!**

**On the last night, we stayed awake until the sun was born... And then we stayed awake a litlle bit more because we had to live early. But during the night, in the party, we were so tired. It was like 4am and we were sitting on the sofas (like... The parties happened inside the hotel, so it was totally safe outside) trying not to sleep when suddenly... It starts playing I Knew You Were Trouble! I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan, so we went to dance again... It was awesome.**

**We also cried when they played sad songs, because it reminded us of our fight with a girl who used to be our best friend (she was my best friend for 10 years) but then she changed for a guy... Whatever, it's her choice, but it's hard to lose your friend. And it's even harder to tell yourself that those 10 years of friendship and all those special moments... Meant absolutely nothing to the other person. My advice, don't you ever assume that you know someone. Because you don't.**

**Anyway, it was great! It wasn't sad, despite of us crying during the sad songs. We created so many beautiful memories there. And if you're curious or anything and want to talk to me about my trip ask me because I love to talk about it, haha. Or if you just want to talk, i also love to talk, so feel free to message me here, on tumblr (iburnedupasunforher) or on twitter (thedoctorswolf).**

**And now that I'm back, I'll try to post as much as I can!**

**PS: Thank you for the review Mockingbird, since you're a guest reviewer I couldn't reply to you, but I am now. (I loved the name you chose, haha)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I didn't like the chapter, but I wanted to at least post something. I'm so, so, so sorry, guys. I wanted to post before, but I didn't have time to write, or I didn't have inspiration... Something was always keeping me from writing. I'm sorry.**

**And I promise next chapter will be better!**

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Rose went to sleep with a smile on her face.

And that wasn't because of the delicious food she ate that night. It was all because of a certain detective.

And she was pretty sure he felt the same way about that night. It was perfect.

They laughed, talked and ate. It was easy for them to be around each other. It felt right.

But at the same time… It was difficult. They both had bad relationships in the past, and now they were scared. Not that they'd admit that. But they were. They were completely afraid of what would happen if they fell in love again.

Well, obviously they weren't in love with each other. Of course not. But they knew it'd be easy to fall in love with each other very quickly.

Right now they were just trying to ignore that feeling.

The next day, Alec went to the hospital to visit his sister.

"Hey" he said as he entered her room. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." She said, but he knew better than that.

"No, you're not." She rolled her eyes. "But if you don't want to talk about it, it's ok. Now, if you want to talk about it, than I'm here for you."

"I know. And I'm here for you too. If you want to tell me what happened with your marriage."

"What? How do you even-"

"Alec, you went to dinner with Rose yesterday. You and Laura – thank God – aren't together anymore. What happened?"

"You promise you won't say 'I told you so'?"

Audrey laughed. "Yeah, I promise."

"Good. Well, we were working on a case, and we found something that proofed the murder guilty. She went to celebrate our victory… With someone else."

"How did you find out?"

"She was with the proof. When she was in the motel, someone stole a few things from her car, including that. The murder was released because of her. But I assumed the guilt, for Jenny. I was lucky to find a job in Broadchurch after that."

"Gosh, Alec! She wasn't just a bitch, she was also stupid!"

"Yeah, and now… Jenny doesn't talk to me."

"She will. She loves her aunt, and now that I'm alive she'll have to visit me."

Alec laughed. "I hope so."

"Are you ok, though? I know you loved her. And that you still love Jenny."

He sighed. "I did love her very much. I was very angry when I found out. But I'm ok. I'm over it. I miss Jenny, I haven't seen her for almost a year."

"I'll help you, Alec. I promise." She held his hand. "Now… What about last night? How was it?"

"It was… It was good, you know. She's a good person."

"Second date?"

"It… It wasn't a date."

"No, of course not." She said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up. She's 10 years older than me or something."

"It's not a big deal! Me and Harry…" she sighed, "He's 15 years older than me."

"Audrey… He still loves you. You know that."

"I know. But I don't want him around. Not now."

"He said to me that he was sorry. And asked me to always call him to tell him how you are."

"That's something he'd do." She said, not showing any sign of emotion, but he knew she was happy and trying not to smile.

"And I told him you were going to move to Broadchurch." He said carefully, waiting for her reaction.

She looked at him in the eyes before saying "When am I going to move?"

"I haven't talked to the hospital yet. I wanted to talk to you first. Do you want to move? Because I could, I don't know, find somewhere to live here, find a job or talk to my boss, she'd understand."

"No, your life is in Broadchurch now. I don't want to keep you from that. Besides… I think I spent too long in this hospital. I want to visit a new one." She said and smiled.

"Ok, then I'll talk to the hospital." He said.

Suddenly the door was opened.

"Hello!" Rose said walking into the room. "How are you?" she asked Audrey.

"I'm fine, really." Audrey said rolling her eyes.

"Yeah… And you?" she said turning to Alec.

"Couldn't be better." He said smiling at her.

"You can flirt outside, guys."

"We're not-" Alec protested.

"Whatever." Audrey said smiling. "Alec, can I talk to Rose in private?"

"Yeah, sure." He said and kissed her forehead before leaving.

"Rose, Alec and I… We're going to Broadchurch." She said.

"Oh"

"I was wondering… Wouldn't you wanna come with us?"

"What? No, Audrey. I don't want to bother you or him, and-"

"You wouldn't bother us. You're my friend. And after what happened here, I thought you'd want some time away. I mean, only if you want to. But after I can leave the hospital, I think we could live together there."

"I- I don't know, Audrey. I'll have to think about it. It'd be good for me, to leave London for some time. I'd like that… But I'm not sure yet."

"Don't worry, Rose. I wasn't waiting for you answer now. Take your time."

"Thank you"

"No problem. Now tell me something… How was the dat- I mean, dinner last night?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "It was fun."

"And…?"

"Alec was really nice with me, and we laughed and talked and that was it."

"Make sure to show Alec that you enjoyed."

"What?"

"Sometimes he might seem hard and cold, but can be very insecure sometimes. And he's afraid that the age gap between you two can be a problem."

"How the hell do I do that?"

"Just tell him you had fun last night or something. He might even ask you on a second date. Or first, since you count this one as 'only a dinner'"

"Oh, shut up, Audrey."

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**As I said, I didn't like the chapter, but I'd really appreciate some reviews.**


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